Vanguard
by El-Jay92
Summary: AU. Team Kakashi's desperate bid to reunite Team Seven converges with a rogue nin's quest for revenge which leads to the beginnings of an unlikely truce. As time passes, Sakura is forced to question what constitutes good and bad as she realises nothing is as straightforward as it seems and everyone deserves the chance to begin anew.


In case you are unsure, Mangetsu is Suigetsu's older brother

So, this is a very unusual pairing, actually the first of its kind but I have been fascinated with Mangetsu's character for a long time. I have so many ideas for this pairing, but I need the support of the readers to continue so please, review. I would love to hear any feedback especially as to whether I should continue the fic. This chapter is introduction more than anything- so please bear with that.

This fic occurs a few years after Sound's invasion and Sauke's defection to Otogakure and Orochimaru. The Akatski threat hasn't yet been revealed, rather, Team Seven- and Sai- are desperately trying to reach their lost teammate. I cannot find Mangetsu's exact age but I will say he is five- six years older than Sakura- it seems a reasonable guess but imagine what you will. Mangetsu is the only surviving member of the Hōzuki clan- Suigetsu was killed when captured by Orochimaru.

Disclaimer: I neither own now profit from Naruto. This applies for any future chapters. Also applies to the image which is a screen shot from the anime.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Suspicions**

A cold wind settled above the valley, rustling leaves and branches alike. A lone shinobi assessed the Sound base nestled between two intersecting rivers.

Sharpened teeth glimmered menacingly in the sun's dying rays and pale hair hung carelessly to his shoulders. A slashed headband betrayed a forgotten allegiance to Kirigakure. As one of the Seven Ninja Swordsman of the Mist, bandages were carefully wrapped around the shinobi's neck. Slung across his back was a large scroll that held the unique power to seal all seven of the Mist's legendary swords. Currently it contained Hiramekarei- the two handed blade capable of storing vast amounts of chakra and emitting it along the blade.

Hōzuki Mangetsu had previously mastered the use of all of the swords- from the temperamental Samehada to the brutal Kubikiribōchō. His dream of possessing all seven blades was currently pushed aside- now, what motivated him was more personal and much more important.

Hōzuki Mangetsu was the pride of the Bloody Mist- a ruthless individual willing to complete any mission to further his power. He was singular amongst the swordsman in that he was not inherently cruel; rather Mangetsu was driven by a desire to protect himself and his brother. This led to him being both calm and calculated in battle- a trait that allowed him to be merciless and appear emotionless.

He and his younger brother Suigetsu had been the only members of the infamous Hōzuki clan to survive the reign of the Bloody Mist. The murder institutionalised in the village allowed only the best to survive, but the sacrifice had destroyed the bloodlines that had founded Kirigakure.

Gradually the village was being rebuilt under the guidance of the Fourth Mizukage but it had suffered greatly. Now a shadow of its former greatness, it lacked both strong Shinobi numbers and infrastructure such as hospitals. It had quickly fallen vastly behind progressive villages such as Konoha.

Mangetsu held no illusions; he knew he could never return to the village. His abilities and ties to the traditional swords of the mist would be accepted but he would remain a feared relic of Kiri's vicious past.

Pale eyes narrowed as he assessed the scene before him. His brother's death at the hands of the Sennin Orochimaru required atonement. He would defeat the snake nin, it was only a matter of time and opportunity. The Third Hokage's sealing of Orochimaru's arms which blocked his ninjutsu had severely weakened the once powerful shinobi and he regularly moved bases to prevent his many enemies from catching up with him. Further, rumours that his current vessel was weakening were rife, providing this opportunity to strike. The hardest part was tracking the individual- and perhaps, the role of his devoted disciples but Mangetsu did not dare underestimate the Sennin; he was as cunning as he was powerful.

"The Second Coming of the Demon of the Mist" he murmured spitefully, despite being renowned as one of the Mists greatest nin, he could not save his brother. Now, his life would be defined by seeking retribution from his brother's killer.

Mangetsu crossed the border into his target's territory; his movements hidden in speed and shadow. Soon, he was nothing more than a memory.

* * *

Sakura collapsed in the middle of the training ground; kunai and senbon were tightly grouped in the centre of carefully placed targets and the kunoichi herself was covered in scrapes and bruises. The shadow clone she had been sparring with dissolved in a cloud of smoke and Sakura relaxed back against the soft grass.

It was fast approaching midnight in Konoha- stars scattered across the sky and the nearly full moon illuminated the practice grounds. Now seventeen, the pink haired girl had worked incredibly hard to deserve the title of kunoichi. No longer a love-struck girl, Sakura had grown to become the preeminent kunoichi of her generation. Her medical skills and use of her chakra control in offensive battle soon established a growing reputation throughout the five shinobi nations.

Slowly, her improvement had been recognised in Konoha; nearly a year ago she had been named co-head of the hospital with Shizune. This allowed Sakura the opportunity to remain a field medic whilst easing Shizune's workload. She had also gained the rank of jonin- a surprise to almost everyone- but Tsunade had justified the promotion both on her incredible improvement and her vast medical knowledge. Her increase in rank allowed her to be a temporary field medic for other teams which proved to be an asset to Konoha as it currently lacked skilled medics.

Sakura smiled, Naruto had vehemently protested her leaving the village with other teams, he had repeatedly tried to convince Tsunade with his well rehearsed "but she's _our _Sakura-chan" speech. The Hokage had soon lost patience with the exuberant blond and after much yelling from Tsunade and assurances from Sakura, Naruto had accepted it.

Naruto had matured immensely since Sasuke's departure and, whilst as enthusiastic as ever, his manner was now tempered by a perceptiveness and skill that could still shock Sakura at times. She was incredibly proud of her best friend though- she was confident he would realise his dream of becoming Hokage.

Sakura sighed tiredly and scrambled to her feet. Her work at the hospital had restricted the time she had to train but she was loathe to let her skills or fitness slip. She promised Tsunade she could handle both and was willing to put in the hours to prove her worth.

Sakura slowly made her way to her apartment, looking forward to her bed- tomorrow was a scheduled day off- she would no doubt be called into the hospital but she was looking forward to a sleep in.

* * *

Sakura's eyes flew open as she sensed a quickly approaching chakra, she soon dismissed it and rolled over in bed, valiantly trying to fall back to sleep.

Seconds later, the door flew open and an ear-splitting yell soon followed- "Sakura-CHAN, wake up! You would not believe what I convinced Baa-chan to let us do".

Soon, a large shape landed heavily on the bed- jostling the kunoichi who was trying in vain to burrow into the covers. Naruto quickly moved to sit cross legged near her head, peering down at her excitedly.

Sakura moaned, she knew Naruto wouldn't let her drift back to sleep so the kunoichi rose to a sitting position- rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"You do know how early it is don't you? People usually sleep at this time Naruto" she yawned. She peered through her eyes at the blond- he was radiating enthusiasm to the point that it was almost blinding.

She supposed something interesting must have happened- it was unusual even for Naruto to be this energetic at six in the morning... that type of insanity was usually reserved for Lee and Gai.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, "And what did you ask Tsunade? You haven't been pestering her again have you? If she hasn't already hurled you out of her office perhaps I should" the slight girl finished menacingly.

Naruto shuffled on the bed, avoiding Sakura's accusing emerald eyes, "No Sakura" he laughed nervously "but I did happen to be in the Hokage tower and Tsunade allowed us another retrieval mission. Apparently, intel suggests that Orochimaru was last seen at a base near Sound's border" he finished happily.

Of course, Sakura thought, she should have known- only Sasuke could ever motivate Naruto like this, even apart they were still rivals. After years of similar retrieval mission Sakura could no longer summon the same optimism Naruto could, she hoped for Naruto's sake more than anyone's that their teammate returned. Sakura had quickly gotten over her infatuation for her teammate and but she desperately wanted Sasuke to return; she knew it was important for Naruto to reunite his team and family.

She smile for Naruto's sake "Have you told Kakashi and Sai yet?" she questioned.

Naruto smiled sheepishly "Nah, I thought I would see you first and let you know the good news". Blue eyes surveyed her, "Have you been working too much again Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked perceptively.

She shrugged off his concern, "I'm fine Naruto, why don't you find the rest of the team, when are we supposed to meet at the gates?"

"Two hours from now" he said decisively, "it will allow us a full day to travel with a break at midday when the sun is hottest".

Sakura raised an eyebrow "Impressive Naruto, those lessons finally sinking in?" she teased good-naturedly.

Naruto laughed "I'll see you at the gates, don't be late". The Kyuubi container bounded out of the nearby window, no doubt in an effort to locate the elusive copy nin and Sai.

Sakura fell back into the pillows. She would get up, just in another ten minutes.

* * *

It was summer in Konoha, the clear crisp morning promised a hot day ahead. Sakura dressed accordingly- her attire consisted of a pale skirt that barely reached mid thigh over the top of skin tight black shorts. In concession to the heat, Sakura's red, sleeveless top was cropped to expose a glimpse of her toned abdomen. The Haruno crest was displayed proudly on her back and her forehead protector tamed her shoulder length pink hair in the same manner as when she was a genin.

An elegant katana was strapped to her back, it was a gift from her team for her last birthday- and it suited the kunoichi, adding an offensive element to her battle style that didn't drain any chakra. She had worked extensively with Kakashi to master the weapon and she was well- above average now. She was eager to improve though, knowing that the weapon made up for her limited use of ninjutsu. The blade was forged in a small village in the East of Fire Country, an area renowned for both its craftsmanship and the quality of the steel used.

The clothes complimented what Sakura liked to thinks was a toned figure and lithe figure. Sai was typically blunter, matter-of-factly calling her boyish and remarkably flat-chested. Sakura had carefully reigned in her anger... after the first few references of it. The socially challenged ROOT operative was slowly learning more common responses to social situations- and, unfortunately, that was one of the more mild comments he had made to her or Naruto. She tolerated most of his misdemeanours though- the team endeavoured to help him as best they could, no matter how trying it could be at times. Well, she and Naruto tried their best to help him and Kakashi tended to watch the results with varying degrees of amusement.

Sai had already arrived at the meeting point; his ever-present notebook and brush in hand as he applied sure strokes of ink to the paper. Sakura attempted to creep up on the concentrating nin even though it was a futile pursuit. Sai quickly turned to look at her, "Ugly, you are as subtle as the shadow-clones our teammate is so fond of" he said smiling, the emotion not quite reaching his eyes.

Sakura beamed and ruffled his hair affectionately "are you finally admitting that you won't be able to get rid of us now". Sakura took his disgruntled silence as acceptance of the team, her happiness causing her to overlook his not-quite complimentary nickname.

Naruto appeared in time to see the exchange "Progress so early in the morning?" he questioned happily.

The blonde greeted his teammates and leant against the wooden bridge, settling in for what could be a long wait for their team leader. It allowed Sakura the opportunity to study the newly promoted jonin. He was now taller than Sakura, almost of a height with Kakashi, and he had developed slightly more muscle tone than the average shinobi. His blonde hair was now longer, partially obscuring the blue eyes that retained their mischievous glint. He was definitely good-looking, but Sakura could only ever see him as a brother- a view Naruto shared having outgrown his previous love of her, replacing with a sibling affection.

Soon Kakashi joined the team and they soon departed, swiftly taking to the trees that surrounded Konoha. The team ventured further and further into the distance, all in an attempt to retrieve a wayward teammate, friend and rival.


End file.
